Monday, November 19, 2012

Switzerland - A Hike Above Grindelwald

The skies partially cleared. We left the bikes locked at the campground, stowed
items in our backpacks, and then hopped on the train for Grindelwald. A half hour later we arrived in the center
of an idyllic Swiss village. Accessed year round, the area is known for its
skiing and rock climbing.

Andy and I locate a hiking map and walk the serpentine main
road until a well signed trail points us in the right direction. We paused occasionally,
to drink or shed a jacket, or to catch our breath. The going was steep, more
difficult than I expected though I always welcome a break from the bike seat.
It was wonderful to wear a backpack again. It’d been two months since we hiked
in Scotland.

Two hours later we closed in on the Eiger’s sheer rock face,
famously portrayed in The Eiger Sanction.
Stars George Kennedy and Clint
Eastwood battle to death on the cliff; it’s an epic and hairy scene, made all
the more real by standing beneath that massive rock wall. Early snow prevented
us from going higher than a chalet at 1,700 meters, but it’s a breathtaking
turn around point. Jagged glaciers with comb-like spikes nearly 300 feet thick hang
from white peaks. It’s like a giant tongue lapping into the canyon above us—a
glorious vista which appeased my Swiss wanderlust.

On the descent, my knees were tender. No amount of
cycling prepares us for negotiating a relentless downhill on rock and root-filled
trails. I longed for the stability of poles to alleviate the descent. I’m often
torn; a respite from the bike would acclimatize legs to the pounding, yet the need
to keep cycling trumps all. Evening strolls never prepare us for more
rigorous walks. For now, I’m content that the weather held for a lovely alpine hike.

2 comments:

All photos from this trip are by a film camera - a Canon Sure Shot. Digital wasn't available in 1994. Wish it was, though. We have limited photos and only two slide carousel's worth were converted to digital for a presentation 2 years ago. Those are the one's that I am using for these blog posts.